Throw Out Fifty Things

A vague feeling that this is a great time of year for resolutions to tackle the accumulation of ‘stuff’ that creeps into all of those spaces in my house motivated me to look at this book. What I got out of it was so much more than the motivation to de-clutter the obvious places I was thinking of, but included ways to improve life all round! Gail’s view is that getting rid of the junk and clutter opens up space for new and exciting possibilities! With the physical clutter going, it is time to start on the clutter in your mind. It takes courage to let go of the past…

Gail’s motto is “if you don’t know what to do with it, or where to put it or why you ever bought it in the first place, or if looking at it depresses you, throw it out! Never keep anything that makes you look heavy or feel heavy”. Throw out fifty things tackles each room of the house in turn with the aim of throwing out fifty different things – by different she means that ten books are counted as one item. Even the garage and attic are covered… It then moves on to the office to remove professional clutter in part two, and part three is attacking the mental mess – removing mental and emotional debris. Lastly, part four is stepping into the clearing to clarify the essential you.

You start with some sturdy rubbish bags, labels and a marker pen to identify the individual bags for: rubbish to dump; donations; and, selling. You will need masking tape to secure them. You will also need smaller ziplock bags for small items such as jewellery. The rules are: if it makes you feel bad, get rid of it. If it contributes nothing positive to your life, get rid of it. If you have to weigh up the pros and cons or agonise over the decision, get rid of it. You don’t have the time, energy, or room for physical or psychic waste. Just take control of your life and start really living it.